Hey guys, thanks for the kind words, and yes I would like to be added to that list. He owes me $450. I''ve been digging up the old e-mails today, and as I read through them I'm getting angry all over again. I'm just watching myself get conned while I smile and give him friendly compliments on his work.
So it started when I stopped by the board after having not been here for a while and I saw that a Hal 9000 run had just ended and the buyers were really happy. Hal was one of the props I always really wanted to have, so after I sent him an e-mail and found out he was making more, I said to hell with it I'm buying it.
I'd like to shorten this a bit, but it's hard because almost everything he says is so incredible to me, knowing what I now know. I have to share it all. Sorry if this is too long. My first e-mail, and several responses both ways was on Fri, Apr 20, 2012 :
I just recently returned to the RPF to find you've finished a HAL project and are shipping now. I was always waiting for someone to do one of these, and now I'm wondering if I've missed my chance. Are you planning on making any more? How do they look? I'm very interested.
Thanks, Tanner
he replied(Fri, Apr 20, 2012):
Unfortunately, the HAL replicas have been sold out for a while.
But...
The shop made spare machined parts, and I have spare electronics boards, so that is easy.
BUT...
The glass lenses are the controlling factor. I asked the optics company for a price for another 20 pieces, and they have agreed to make them, but at almost 3X the original price. (small-quantity-rape-the-customer job). So the price on the replicas will have to be a bit higher to cover
some of the additional lens cost. Probably about $525ish.
I will probably still do them after this run is completely shipped and completed, so if you want one of these, I can add you to the waiting list and get back to everyone if/when I do another run. I assume some folks will want/need to make the payment in 2 to 3 installments, so that is fine.
Let me know if you are definitely interested. I will add you to my mailing list as well, as I will probably advertise them there first.
Thanks!
Stephen Dymszo
And I replied, obviously excited and not using my best judgment. I feel like an idiot seeing this now.( Fri, Apr 20, 2012)
Yeah, I'm definitely interested based on the pictures I've seen. Do you have any more details or photos that I could look at? I'd like to decide pretty soon if I want to make this investment.. I'm out of work cause of Cancer and I gotta spend my money wisely, but buying awesome stuff keeps my spirits up. Thanks in advance brother
and he replied(Fri, Apr 20, 2012):
Sorry to hear that.
Here are some pics that should brighten your day ;-)
I liked what I saw obviously..( Fri, Apr 20, 2012):
Sign me up man. I may end up paying in installments but Hal has been my white whale for a while and I can't see anyone making one nicer than that. Does he come ready to mount on the wall? Does he speak? Does he creep you out a bit when you're alone?
and he replied (still Fri, Apr 20, 2012):
It says 15 random phrases from the film. It can be voice or remote activated. Yes, you can hang it on a wall, no problem.
They will probably be about $525 ish. (I have to pay a lot more for the second round of custom-made lenses, as I am ordering a lot less than the first time).
I have added you to the mailing list and will notify everyone when I am ready to start the next run. Installments are fine... the lenses will take ten weeks to get done anyway. The rest of the parts are already done from the first run and are here. The lenses are the "critical path" component.
Thanks!
Stephen Dymszo
A few days passed and I got one of his big e-mail news letters where he tries to sell all of his stuff. Should have been a red flag. But I was doped up on pain meds and excited about an awesome prop. So on Tuesday, April 24, 2012, I sent this message:
Hey,
I'm still in for a Hal. Just responding to touch base about payment. I could pay you as soon as May 16. Do you want me to pay in full as soon as possible or should I wait until the project is finished? You had also mentioned that some people pay in installments. I may choose to do that just because I'm recovering from cancer and sometimes get hit with unexpected co-pays and perscriptions that need to be paid for, so I like to have a little cushioning money. Either way though, I have the money and you can consider me a definite buyer. Feel free to keep the e-mails with pics coming. The thing looks fantastic. I'm already picking out a space on the wall for it.
Thanks!
I should mention I don't get so personal in my everyday shopping. On the RPF I have a feeling of camaraderie with other people so I'm more open in the way I communicate with them. I feel stupid for talking about my personal life with this guy.
So he said:
Thanks! Sorry to hear about your situation.
Hopefully, this will brighten your day a bit
Where are you located? ...that will dictate the shipping cost. (overseas will be more.)
You can divide the payment into three installments over three months if you want.
So $550 / 3 = $184.00
Is that doable?
My paypal is
sdstudios@aol.cm
Thanks!
Stephen Dymszo
SO obviously I agreed to that, and there a re a bunch of e-mails here with me letting him know I've sent each payment. This was right before the final one.
Just wanted to let you know that I'll be sending my third and final payment of $184.00 by the end of next week for the Hal 9000 replica.
How are they coming along?
him:
I can't actually know what the completion date is yet.
As I noted earlier, we are at the grace of the optics company. The last time they made the lenses it took 7 months, but they said it would be a lot faster this time (3 to 4 months) as they had the process for these down now and they wouldn't have so many rejections in their QC department.
Apparently, they had never made lenses like these before and they had a difficult time getting them perfect.
I will certainly let everyone know as I have more info.
Thanks!!!
Stephen Dymszo
After that I received tons of e-mails about stuff he wanted to sell, but nothing about the Hal. I didn't want to keep bugging him about it because he always assured me everything was fine. I felt like I was bugging him. I would send an e-mail asking what's up with the Hals, he would say I had nothing to worry about, he knew I was paid in full, and that he would let me know about any progress. I sent all 3 payments, sending him e-mails each time. He always responded that he got my payments
And here's where something went wrong. I went to the hospital for a few weeks, and wasn't reading my e-mails. When I got out I checked through and didn't find anything from him, though I guess he had sent me one. I didn't think anything of it.. I mean obviously if I had missed an e-mail from someone I had given $550 to for something, they would try to send me another e-mail if I didn't reply right away. But I didn't see his one e-mail.. so eventually, on July 1, 2013, I e-mailed him:
Any updates on the HAL replicas? I paid full a while back and I'm wondering what's become of them
then I checked his website and to my horror he had the HALs for sale.
I sent this:
I just visited your site and saw that the Hal 9000s are available. I don't understand why I haven't received mine yet as I did pay in full a long time ago.
Then I found his old e-mail that I had missed and sent this:
I just checked my paypal accouunt to ensure that I had paid in full and it shows that I had. I submitted three payments of $184 adding up to $552. I just found the e-mail that said Final update and it says "99% of the orders have been filled, but if you are receiving this, it is because you still have a balance due. "
I missed that e-mail because I've been in and out of the hospital constantly this year, but I didn't think I needed to worry because I definitely sent all 3 payments. My paypal records agree with that. I don't uderstand what's going on, but i'm pretty stressed out considering how much I paid for this item. Please get back to me soon so we can sort this out
I was getting pretty upset, but I just wanted to take either my prop or my money and be done with it
I'm getting worried that I haven't heard back from you yet. I spent a lot of money for this Hal 9000 replica and I was very surprised to find out they've been finished and available for a long time. It's not your fault I missed the e-mail about them being done.. I was in the hospital. What I don't understand is why I got the e-mail at all as it says it was only sent to people who hadn't paid yet. I was instructed to pay in 3 installments of $184 and I did well before that e-mail went out. I don't understand whats going on
Finally, he replied 2 days later:
Sorry, the new batch is taking WAY longer than I planned.
And I honestly believed that you had not made the last payment. I hadn't heard back from one or more e-mail I sent out to the list, so I figured you would just get back to me when you were ready. I am very sorry that I missed the last payment that you DID send.
don't always receive notification e-mails from paypal, and it is easy to miss someone's payment when you receive and send dozens of transactions each week.
Also...
We recently learned that Artifactory (which took over the production from SD Studios) has been losing money on EVERY HAL unit we ship, but we didn't know that until we hired a CPA to come in and do Pro Formas and balance our books!
With all of the labor, shipping and other misc costs, we lose money on every one. Yaaah!
But we have almost 500 more orders so we are trying to decide wether to take them or not, and we have been redesigning the HAL unit to be more cost-effective. (New, improved electronics and manufacturer, new machine shop, injection-molded interior parts, etc.) The outside unit itself would still look identical, so don't worry about that.
So this new batch got caught up in that re-design and that is why it has taken so long to get yours out. We have an investor who is willing to put up $50k to get this new batch started, but the hold-up has been on our end deciding HOW to make it better.
WORST case, if this goes much longer, I will just give you mine that I have here. It is mint but is the only finished example that I have.
Either way, I will work on getting you a HAL as soon as I can.
Very sorry for the delay.
Stephen Dymszo
That didn't make any sense, so I responded:
I don't understand. I have to wait even longer? How long? It isn't my fault my payment was missed. I did everything you asked me to do. Now the replicas are available for a significantly lower price but I, who paid the original price, still have to wait? I realize you can't change the fact that there aren't enough built, but I didn't do anything to cause that unfortunate situation. I'm not telling you how to run your business, but in a situation like this, instead of the choice between waiting even longer for one that's apparently more cheaply made, and taking the one that already belongs to you, I feel like a partial refund should be offered. I don't want to take your replica that you're already enjoying. I wouldn't feel good about having one that I took from someone else. I'm also not very keen on an inferior product, or waiting after i've already been waiting over a year. I hope you can tell me I won't need to wait too long. I'm sorry if I am coming off as rude. This is one more piece of bad news i've received in a week of nothing but much more significant bad news. I've been a fan of HAL 9000 for years and have been looking forward to this replica being the centerpiece of my sci fi collection, and now I'm hearing I should have had one a while ago if only I'd known that in order to receive it, I would have to stay on top of my e-mails and continue to point out that I had paid in full.
It looks like my next e-mail to him was on July 19, 2013
Hi, I still haven't heard from you since July 3rd and I'm starting to get very concerned. I know you acknowledged the mistake and promised me a HAL soon, but you must understand what it's like to have over $500 of your personal spending money tied up in something and not have the person who has the money acknowledge you for long periods of time. I have mounting medical bills because of things that have come up since I paid for this. It is terrible to have absolutely nothing to show for it. I know you probably don't have ALL the answers I'm looking for, but you know more than I do, so please write me back and allow me to destress a little bit. I was concerned about paying so much in advance but I trusted you. I don't understand how you could leave me hanging like this. Please just tell me something about what's going on so I can stop worrying!
and that day he sent me this:
Sorry for taking so long.
We have been travelling for several weeks and just got back from a 2500+ mile trip to numerous museums, and distributors through-out the south. I THOUGHT I was getting all of my e-mails on my phone, but when I got back I found I had about 250 unread in my spam folder! I have been plowing through them all week.
The HALs are taking far longer than we expected, and for that I apologize. We have made some improvements to the shell interiors and electronics, but they are messing up the schedule. We MAY just make them the same as always just to get them finished faster.
We have lots of parts floating around but no spare circuit boards. As soon as I get another batch of boards in, I could put one together and get it out to you.
In my defense, when I did the last batch for SD studios, I e-mailed EVERYONE on the list 3 or 4 times, and I never heard back from you, so I figured you would get back to me when you could, and I gave the unit to the next person on the list. I think you said that you had some medical problems at the time...very sorry to hear that. You ok now???
Out of the (about 80) units in the last SD batch, I only have two people left. You and another gentleman who hasn't replied to about 15 e-mails I have sent.
So I wasn't ignoring you, I just never got a response to my e-mails...
You have my word we aren't going anywhere, we will have another batch of HALs as soon as we can (we have over 500 orders outstanding from new retailers, so there is NO WAY am going to miss out on $162,000 in uncollected sales revenue!!!)
I want these done FAR MORE than you do ;-)
Thanks for your patience.
ps: If you want some free blueprints (not sure if you like those or not) just take a look at the website and let me know. We have 8000 of those in stock!
Stephen Dymszo
After that, there's more back and forth where I become increasingly impatient..I started e-mailing him several times a day. He ended up agreeing to pay me back in installments of $100 a week until he had paid me back completely. I said that would be fine. He sent the first payment, but never another. For a while I went back and forth with him and he would pop up once in a while and offer me some other props. One time I chose one of the props he offered and he told me it was too valuable. He then told me he could give me something I didn't want that was of equal value and then all I would have to do is sell it and I'd have my money back. I told him if it was that simple to sell, he should sell it himself and send me the money. I don't think he understands how business works.
Anyway, I gave up on being frustrated and stopped e-mailing him.. He still owes me $450 of the $550 I paid. To this day I would still happily take that HAL 9000 replica that he claimed to have.
Sorry this was so long winded. I needed to let it all out.
So put me down for $450. My name is Tim, or Tanner, either one works